I love Michael Holding.
English cricket thread
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran are here to talk about a frustrating 2 points dropped at Crystal Palace. They then discuss the regeneration of Old Trafford. Finally, Nik is joined by special guest Michael Statham from the Football Oranje podcast - who gives us a more in depth look at our EL opposition FC Twente, and then runs through the (many) Dutch connections currently at United.
So they're finally out playing & will be going off for lunch at 1:30 
Posted in the wrong thread earlier. Completely baffling with a 40 min lunch break under the circumstances.
So they're finally out playing & will be going off for lunch at 1:30
We need to make test cricket attractive to a new, younger audience, and we'll do that by making ourselves a laughing stock by taking literally any opportunity to leave the field of play.
Happened in the West Imdies series as well, so annoying. 1.5h with no cricket 1h cricket 40m no cricket. Should have had a early lunch, and had tea at 3:30So they're finally out playing & will be going off for lunch at 1:30
On Fawad's stance, it doesn't seem to have hurt him in 1st class cricket, he's scored a shed load of runs at a great average.
However against the swinging ball he's a prime leg before candidate as his crazy stance & trigger naturally plants his front foot far too early.
However against the swinging ball he's a prime leg before candidate as his crazy stance & trigger naturally plants his front foot far too early.
Its a shame because he's better than than duck he got in the first innings but the way this game (i.e. weather) is going he might not get a second innings chance to get it right and I can see them bringing Shadab back for the next one. And Fawad will be out in the wilderness again until retirement.
There was a really interesting Jarrod Kimber article about him yesterday.
https://wickets.substack.com/p/fawad-alam-and-his-numbers
Does put it into context a bit why his average is so good that he's come in at 5 for most of his career in first class cricket.
Clearly way better, yes. That avg. & weight of runs in FCC doesn't lie. Probably not the best pick for English conditions though.
On days like this I don't think umpires should be trying to set out session times. They should have come out and played for 2.5 hours, or until the rain hit, then take 'lunch'.
True. But that's probably a good description of most Pakistani batsmen.
Five should be a batsman or if a specialist then a batsman first. He seems to like a position, no harm in that. Root loves batting at four when possibly more suited to be a three.
No getting away from the fact it's an ugly style he has. But if he's scoring heavy runs then something must be working there. It's a very interesting case, I'd like to see more of him in the middle, especially against spin.
It's a description for most batsman against the current England attack. The very best, like Babar, seem to cope well enough. Technique is only as good as the level it is examined at.
I think the point is more that there's a perception (that Fawad knows) that batting at 5 in First Class cricket is a comparatively easier task than batting in the top 4. Anyone that's followed County Cricket discussions will know that it's there and players tend to have to move up into the top 3 (or at least 4) to prove that they have the ability to step up. That's not to say it's a hard and fast rule, but that it's there.
And there's probably some method to the madness too. You're going to be facing an older ball more often and more tired bowlers more often and first class counties change bowlers are going to be a bit shitter, someone averaging 50 at 3 is probably going to be a better player than someone averaging 50 at 5.
Not that, that means that his weight of runs should be ignored, but I think Kimber's point is right that if he really wanted to he could have moved up a position to make his case stronger and I suspect made it pretty easy for Pakistani selectors (coupled with that crabby technique) to discount that average somewhat.
Excellent delivery to get Babar.
Yasir might as well go out & attack.
Yasir might as well go out & attack.
Perhaps his team wanted him at five for a reason. But I agree with you in principal of five being an easier position for a batsman, yes.
Buttler....
Was always going to happen after they were saying how good he’s been
Have Pakistan batted poorly or England bowled really well? I’m not sure.
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Possibly, and possibly batting at 5 is harder in Pakistan than elsewhere for the reasons Kimber states, but over a 15 year career with that weight of runs behind him you can get yourself up the order if you really want to. Not saying that he's a bad player at all, mind, and we all know that selection can be arcane (can any of us really say why Hildreth never won a cap?), but I think he probably did enough to confirm some doubts about him that his technique would have caused.
Not sure how you can give this out with any confidence.
Turning down singles at 176/7 is utterly daft.
True, but also I don’t think there was enough evidence to overrule the soft signal
Where the feck is he going?!
Deadeye dick from Sibley
The angle from behind showed the ball on the ground with his left hand more to the side of the ball than under it. Thought it was the correct call to overrule it.
Think for once there was. The reverse angle looked grounded and I think Athers is right you do see a chunk of turf kicked up from the front angle.
It's tough batting conditions, Babar got a beauty. There is frailty in this line up though definitely.
Then Pakistan bowlers should also do very well.
Yeah, that was an awful decision.
If he was confident, he would have given him out straight away, instead of the 30 second hesitation which is the very definition of "I'm not sure".
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They should, yes. Bowling is the strength of both teams no doubt.
Woakes has been awful with this new ball
Well played by Rizwan for his 50.
If they can drag themselves to 250 they should come off thinking they've done alright here.
Looks like it'll be cloudly with rain breaks all match. You're not expected to get 350.
Looks like it'll be cloudly with rain breaks all match. You're not expected to get 350.
Without wishing to reopen the can of worms about Wood-Archer, this is exactly why you have a 90mph bowler in your team.
If we're picking someone to knock the tail over it should be Rashid. We shouldn't pick someone to knock the tail over though.
250 would be amazing. Considering the batting ability of the last 3, to get to 220+ would be fantastic. Gives the bowlers something to defend in these conditions.
It's just shite bowling and shite tactics from England, we've seen them do it plenty of times regardless of who they pick or what pace they bowl.
Yeah, I mean in a 'I might have taken 250 at the start' kind of way, rather than just a really good improvement from a bad situation.
Shame that Azhar and Abid didn't really capitalise much as set batsmen despite the dropped catches.